All's Fair in Love and War
by The Head Reviewer
Summary: I loved Katherine and you stole her from me. And because of that, I'm going to take Elena from you. From right underneath your feet. I'd keep an eye on that one. She just might wake up one of us. Or better yet, next to me." Mostly Damon/Elena
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything blah blah blah. I hope the nice people at the CW don't sue me, nor does LJ Smith doesn't pull an Anne Rice. _

Damon, scotch in hand, hears Stefan entering the room. Despite staring into the crackling fire, he sees him fiddling with his ring out of the corner of his eye.

"Over the whole 'I'm going to kill myself and die' rampage, I assume?" Damon smirks. He swirls the amber liquid around the tumbler before drinking from it.

"Elena really helped me through it," Stefan says curtly before adding sarcastically, "thanks for your concern."

"I would say I'm hurt when I'm really not. I'm just holding up to my end of the promise. I don't hate you because of what you did to Katherine; granted she's still alive. I hate you because you were never meant to be turned. It was supposed to be me, only me. And that's why you'll spend an eternity with me. An eternity of misery. Get used to it, it's only been a century and a half," Damon says in a dangerously low voice.

He gets up and is about to head out but is stopped by Stefan. He clamps a hand on Damon's shoulder and his dark eyes bore into Damon's pale cerulean eyes. Damon easily throws him against the wall. The look on Stefan's face isn't fear but pain after being so weak and without blood.

"Until you get some squirrel blood into your system, you should really be careful," Damon hisses. "Even then, you won't be a worthy opponent. Say hi to Bambi for me," Damon adds, his lips twisting into a smile.

"Get over it, Damon," Stefan pleads. That damn witch was right, his heart of gold would prove to be a pain in the centuries to come. "Because it kills me to see my only family left hate me."

Damon barks with humorless and harsh laughter. "You lost your only family when you fed from Father all those years ago. You were no brother of mine the day Katherine got taken. So just leave out of your plans to be brothers who care about each other whatsoever. If you want to live a human life so badly, go play house with Elena."

"Don't you dare bring Elena into this," Stefan whispers. He worries when Damon's lips curl into another smile which can only mean bad things.

"Really? Because I would say Elena is very much a part of this. Elena's the one who gave you her blood. Elena's the reason you were all suicidal and even more brooding than usual. Elena seems to be the girl you truly love and Elena just happens to look exactly like Katherine. It seems that everything traces back to Elena!" Damon explains angrily.

"I never stole Katherine from you. I met her first, if you've forgotten," Stefan almost yells.

Damon is way to riled up to stop though. "Oh, no, no, no. That's where you're wrong. If you didn't steal Katherine from me, you wouldn't be standing here in front of me. You'd be in your tomb next to dear old Dad. I loved Katherine," Damon grits through his teeth and for a second, Stefan wonders if there are actual tears in his eyes, "and you stole her from me. And because of that, I'm going to take Elena from you. From right underneath your feet. I'd keep an eye on that one. She just might wake up one of us. Or better yet, next to me."

"Damon. Don't do this," Stefan begs. He doesn't bother trying to fight Damon, he knows he's defeated. This is his only other option.

"Why shouldn't I? It always seems to be about a girl, doesn't it? Why does everyone else get their happy endings!" Damon yells. "Why am I the one always stuck with the unhappy ending?"

"Don't do this. Not for me but for Elena. Don't do this to her."

Damon doesn't say anything but the glint in his eye is enough for Stefan to know Damon's not lying. It's always a girl. It's always the same bloody girl.

* * *

Elena flops onto her bed, feeling relieved to be in her own bed and worry-free. She just wants to curl up and write in her diary until her hand falls off. She turns onto her side and nearly screams when she sees Damon staring at her, smirk intact. He's resting his head on his hand, his weight on his elbow as he lies on his side as well, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Well, hello Elena," Damon says smiling. He hears her heart furiously racing. "Scared?"

"No, just surprised. I've gotten used to the whole vampire sneaking up thing. How did you get in?" Elena asks. She puts a hand to her heart and feels it pounding against her chest.

"I was invited in," Damon says simply with a sly smile. "Stefan's back to normal. Brooding and all saint like but he's Stefan."

Elena sighs with relief. "I was really worried about him. You should be too. You're his only family left."

"I think you fail to realize that I no longer consider Stefan my brother. Still, I couldn't having him robbing blood banks dry and killing beauty pageant contestants. The town council is really on edge about this whole vampire issue," Damon grumbles.

Elena rubs his resting arm almost sympathetically. "You may hate him now but there was a time when you guys were best friends. Two peas in a pod. Isn't time to bury the hatchet? The Katherine thing is getting really old."

"If only it was that simple," Damon replies, stroking the side of her face delicately in return. He feels the blood rushing to her cheeks and can't help but smile. "You should get some sleep. It's been a rough week."

Elena nods sleepily in agreement and gets up so that she can get ready for bed. "Why are you here, again?"

"Oh, I don't know. Just thought you'd need a little vampire company."

Elena finishes brushing her teeth before she can laugh grimly. "Everything has just been so hectic since the whole vengeful vampires kidnapping Stefan. And with Bonnie back. I just can't wait until things get back to normal."

"Define normal," Damon raises an eyebrow.

"Stefan back to drinking animal blood, Bonnie speaking to me, you... you dealing with the Founders' council and searching for Katherine-" Elena freezes when she realizes what she just said."Damon, I didn't mean it like that-"

"It's okay you know," Damon rolls his eyes. "I have someone named Johnathon Gilbert to deal with first."

"Oh, him," Elena mumbles. "Even his 'family' isn't too fond of him." Elena gets under her covers and Damon scoots over ever so slightly so she can have space. He sits up, leaning against her headboard as she snuggles under the familiar duvet, looking up at him. "Thank you though. For someone who doesn't care much about anything but himself, you aren't such a bad person," Elena manages to say as her eyelids close into a slumber.

"Soon, Elena. Soon you'll be mine," Damon says in a whisper so quiet, even the enhanced hearing of a vampire would barely be able to catch. Elena's chest rises and falls with every breath that she takes, her mortality practically at his fingertips. He feels her snuggle closer to him and he finds himself stroking her hair as he watches her sleep.

TBC

A/N: Please review. I would love to see what you thought of it. I'm still on this high from last weeks episode and can't wait til the next. I have big plans for this story...


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I Don't own anything, blah, blah, blah. I hope the nice people at CW don't sue me nor does the author of the series, LJ Smith pull an Anne Rice._

Whether Katherine ever really loved Damon or Stefan was a mystery. But there was no doubt she enjoyed toying with both of them, like a puppet master with his puppets, managing to control their every feeling and thought... well at least for one of the Salvatore brothers anyway. Katherine Pierce had mastered the art of seduction long before arriving in Mystic Falls and portrayed the image of perfection. Although charming and beautiful and elegant, her unhealthy love for attention and the slightest thought of being inferior were fatal flaws. She hated it when she was tossed aside, like a fad rapidly losing popularity. She had a tendency to kill anyone who got in the way of being the best and center of attention. It doesn't take much to figure that for her to find out that both the Salvatore brothers were vying for this human girl who happened to look exactly like her, wouldn't end very well.

* * *

Elena wakes up to immediately notice the absence of Damon's body. She couldn't feel the absence of his "warmth" because he was well, dead. Or rather the undead. She takes a shower and feels her tense muscles loosen under the hot water. For once, she can just forget about everything and focus on getting herself clean. She steps out feeling refreshed, all her past worries having gone down the drain along soapy water.

She's blow-drying her hair when she hears Jenna call her name.

"Stefan's here for you!" Jenna yells as Elena stops the blow dryer.

Elena literally counts to three before Stefan is in her bathroom, his arms wrapped around her waist and placing kisses all over her.

"It's so good to see you," Elena giggles as he places tickling kisses on her neck. She quickly puts the blow dryer down and drags him by the hand to her bedroom. She shuts her bedroom and bathroom door, with a naughty look on her face. She pushes Stefan down onto the bed before mounting on top of him.

"Are you okay now?" Elena asks, her half dry hair hanging loosely.

"Yep, I promise. Went hunting today and I feel fine now that I'm back on the animal diet," Stefan replies.

"You know you could have just come through the window. Then, Jenna wouldn't know you're up here," Elena smiles as she peels off her shirt. She kisses Stefan as he manages to sit up and peel off the gray V-neck he's wearing.

"It's a bit early, isn't it?" Stefan says with difficulty as Elena places delicate, heart-stopping (metaphorically, of course) kisses on his bare chest.

"It's been a long week," Elena justifies. "Or should I say, long couple of weeks dealing with crazy vampire stuff." Elena laughs. She likes being able to make out with her boyfriend again without having to worry about him going all crazy in the bloodlust.

"Mmm," Stefan mumbles. "Well I am a vampire," he manages to say before Elena quiets him so that they can continue on with their little morning rendezvous in her bed.

* * *

Stefan doesn't mention Damon's new diabolical plan and although sticky and sweaty, Elena feels cleaner and better than she ever has. They lie together for a while in the silence. They tried to go along with normal conversation to make sure Jenna didn't get too suspicious with the loud noises or their abnormal silence. However, Elena was partially paranoid that Jeremy heard them, especially that one time when she feeling particularly raunchy.

Stefan manages to think of his own diabolical plan to counteract Damon's but is interrupted when Elena climbs out of bed to get redressed. Stefan follows but they get distracted quite a few times. They head downstairs together when Jenna calls them for lunch and they exchange secretive and sly glances all throughout. After lunch, Stefan announces he has to leave and promises to return later. Elena is reluctant to let him go so fast and kisses him deeply in front of Jenna who just rolls her eyes.

Elena practically skips upstairs and to her room, ready to write in her diary when she sees Damon waiting for her.

"Why don't you look... happy," Damon says slowly. "You reek of Stefan and that look on your face can only mean one thing. Someone just got some vampire monkey-sex."

Elena's cheeks tinge with redness as her mouth drops in shock at his lack of prudence. "Shut up," she spits out at him, glaring.

"So it's true. How is he? Doing, I mean. Not in bed, that would be gross. Did he try to eat you? Did you let him eat you?" Damon seems a bit to eager to get some answers.

"He's fine," Elena sniffs. "He didn't try to bite me. He's past that. He's clean, Damon."

Damon sighs with relief. "You can get back to your great agenda," Elena sneers and Damon rolls his eyes. He starts thinking of the quickest way to get Elena fall for him. Seduction was nice and easy but Elena knew too much about him to fall for it. Compulsion wouldn't be nearly as fun when he rubs it in Stefan's face. He decided to go for the good old, force it on her and hope she plays along and doesn't reach for the number 2 pencil.

Elena finds herself talking to herself because Damon has completely tuned out in his own thoughts and also because Jenna's footsteps can be heard coming upstairs. She turns to Damon, expecting him to be gone already but he stands there, as if waiting to speed out at the last minute. Elena watches nervously as she feels Jenna coming closer and closer to her room.

"Wait for it," Damon murmurs.

Jenna gently knocks on the door and Elena panics whereas Damon looks quite calm. Elena doesn't want to be caught in her room with Damon Salvatore. She closes her eyes, hearing Jenna's hand rest on the doorknob. To Elena's human senses, she isn't quite sure what happened first- Jenna walking into her room, laundry basket in hand or Damon managing to plant a kiss on her cheek and sneak out the window. At least Elena thought she felt his cool lips press against her cheeks for a split second. But then again, she couldn't remember if Jenna entered the room before or after Damon managed to escape. Either way, the tiny spot where his lips would've been burns on her cheek as she gets a feeling that things are far from getting back to normal.

* * *

Stefan decides the only safe place to make the call he's going to make is outside of town. He drives extremely fast, feeling slightly like the Edward Cullen Caroline loves to go on and on about. He isn't pulled over as he travels through mostly deserted roads. He pulls into a clearing, swarming with loads of campers searching to find that "deserted peace in the wilderness" failing to realize the irony that a Burger King was down the road and the deforestation was a ridiculous rate due to an overwhelming number of humans.

He heads to the pay phone cleverly placed for campers who once again are camping to be one with nature but can't stay away from their cell phones for ten minutes and need to use the pay phone due to the lack of signal in the area. Stefan pulls out a crumpled piece of paper and reads the faint words written in pencil. He drops a few coins in nervously and hastily dials the number.

Someone picks up immediately and he's asked for the code. Stefan guiltily mumbles something about his favorite blood type being AB Negative even though he's back on the animal diet. He hears the laugh on the other side and he's placed on hold for a good ten minutes. Stefan keeps feeding the ancient machine coins, feeling glad to get rid of the heaping pile of change in his pocket.

"Who am I speaking to?" A gruff voice asks on the other end.

"Stefan Salvatore," Stefan replies. He waits a little for the voice to reply.

"Hmm... Do I know you from somewhere? The War of 1812, perhaps?" the voice questions.

"That was before me," Stefan says curtly. "Can we get to the point, please? I'm in a hurry," Stefan feeds the machine another quarter.

"You young vampires, how impatient you've gotten. And who do you wish to seek?"

"A lady."

"Yes. How old would she be? Is she even a vampire? Because you should know I don't do any of that witch stuff. Don't even like to go near them werewolves," the voice says in a throaty chuckle.

"I don't know. Nearing 400, probably," Stefan looks around once to make sure no one is listening not that they could even hear him in the quiet voice he's speaking in.

"Ahh. That'll make it easier to find her. I'll be needing some type of photo or significant object of hers. I'd like to meet you in person, Mr. Salvatore if that wouldn't be too difficult."

"That's fine. Look, how long is this going to take? It's kind of an urgent matter," Stefan asks.

"Well, if we meet on Tuesday, in three days time. Give me a week. Maybe ten days. All depends on how much information you got for me," the voice says. "Listen, I don't take no money. You can go to some amateur tracker for that. I want blood. Lots of it. It's gonna cost you."

"Anything else?" Stefan asks, trying to figure out a way he's going to manage to steal an obscene amount of blood bags. Little does he know, three days will be enough time for Damon to start to work his Damon-charm. He had no idea that a week would be more than enough time for Damon to manage to wrap his hand around her, his grip on her strong. By the tenth day, she would be gone from him forever and lost to Damon. Ten days would be all it took for Damon to steal Elena from right under his feet like promised but Stefan had no idea. He was just waiting, waiting for the moment when Damon pounced hoping he was ready, wooden stake in hand.

"And who's this girl I'm looking for, again?" the voice questions after setting a meeting place.

"Katherine. I'm looking for a girl named Katherine Pierce."

A/N: Dun, dun, dun. Sort of cliffhanger, I guess. Thanks for all the reviews. I think I replied to all of them, except for the anonymous ones. Please review! There are 23 people who have this on alert so you know... I'm just saying. 23 reviews would be hella nice, folks. I didn't really like this chapter. Needed to get the last part out and just had a filler Damon/Elena scene which I wasn't a fan of. How 'bout you? You got some "vampire monkey sex" with Stefan and Elena. Don't worry, later on, that might be I don't know... Damon and Elena?!


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything blah blah blah. I hope the nice people at the CW don't sue me, nor does LJ Smith doesn't pull an Anne Rice. _

Elena waits for Stefan in the Boarding House parlor while Damon searches for some liquor. She doesn't know what to say as she is still wondering if Damon actually kissed her. Well, it was just a peck on the cheek but it was still a mystery what exactly happened. In frustration, she wonders out loud if there was an AA for vampires. She's fed up with the _clink_ of the liquor bottles gently tapping each other.

Without even looking up, Damon replies, "Well something's gotta keep me from ripping your throat out in thirst."

Elena rolls her eyes and looks around the room. She desperately wants to ask him about if what happened earlier and finally manages to force the words out. "Today... this morning, this you, you know, like..."

It doesn't take long at all for him to be standing in front of her, alcohol in one hand. "Like... like what?" Damon asks in a high-pitched voice.

"Did you kiss me?" Elena blurts out, her eyes closed shut in fear of his reaction. She hears him laugh. She opens her eyes with look of shock. "Why are you laughing?" she asks him. She wants to slap him so badly. He leans in closer and Elena feels her pulse start to rush.

"You're so human," he notes. Elena feels him take her wrist gently, resting his fingers to feel her pulse. It throbs against his fingertips and he grins. "Did I kiss you this morning?" Damon repeats the question slowly as if he can't remember. "Depends, I guess. Did you enjoy it? Are you full of shame that you've fallen for the classic Damon Salvatore charm?" He leans in even closer and moves so that his lips are just millimeters from her cheek. Elena tries not to move because if she does, she knows they'll touch.

"Damon," Elena whispers "what are you doing?"

His lips press to her cheek slowly. "I thought you wanted to know if I kissed you earlier," he says, his lips moving on her cheek. "If this is what it felt like, then yes." Elena feels his lips form a smile and she moves away.

"I want to slap you so badly," Elena says, a smile creeping onto her face, as well.

"I'll have to check with Stefan if this is a fetish of yours," Damon smirks and watches as Elena's face twists into horror. He brings Elena's wrist up to his face and hears her heart race. He places his nose to her wrist where the pulse is strongest and the smell of her blood makes his sense run wild. He inhales deeply and Elena tries not to enjoy herself too much. Stefan once told her that sharing blood is one of the strongest forms of bonding for a human and a vampire. Originally, she was glad that Stefan didn't drink human blood so that she would never have to worry about being bitten. However, when Stefan was kidnapped and she offered him his blood, it felt strangely good.

Elena wants to tell Damon just to bite her when he places his lips on her wrist in the utmost erotic way possible. They rest their and she feels his soft kisses. She forgets that she's with Damon for a second and forgets Stefan as he continues to place kisses on her wrist. His lips travel up her forearm, tracing the delicate veins. Elena stares down at him while Damon looks up, his pale eyes piercing.

"Damon," she says in a half-moan. The smirk re-appears. Elena laughs slightly.

"What's wrong?" she asks, in an amused tone.

"You remind me of Katherine," he muses. Once the words leave his lips, he regrets it. Elena pulls her wrist away and looks for something to hit him with. She grabs a large object and throws it against him as hard as she can and hears the shattering of a glass vase. Water and a withered rose fly out as she looks down to see her hand bleeding from a bit of glass pressed into her skin after she smashed the vase against him.

Trembling, she runs upstairs to Stefan's room where she knows she'll be away from him and locks the door. A few moments later, Elena hears him knocking on the door.

"Go away," she yells at him.

"This isn't your house, you know," Damon reminds her and he hears a slur of profanity escape Elena's lips. "You're bleeding. Let me get you a bandage or something. You need help."

Elena looks at her steadily bleeding hand and ignores the flow of blood to let tears slide down her cheeks. "I can't be like her. I won't be like her," Elena whispers quietly but Damon can hear her.

It's then that he realizes his mistake. He doesn't say anything but slides some alcohol swabs and gauze through the crack under the door. He goes to his room to stare at the picture of Katherine he has and tells himself he isn't falling for Elena but is in the middle of a plot for revenge while he hears her quiet sobs next door.

* * *

"And why are you in search of this Katherine Pierce, exactly?"

The man on the other side during Stefan's mysterious phone call is revealed to look just as scary as he sounded. A long scar traced from his cheek all the way up to his temple and Stefan thinks of the possible ways to scar a vampire. He can think of none. He is bald but has a scraggly layer of buzzed hair. One eye is black, with no reflection whatsoever and the pupil being nowhere to be found while the other eye is even paler than Damon's eye with the whole eye being almost white as if he were blind. One one hand, he only has four fingers, one probably having been turned to ashes. On the other hand, two of his fingers are black and shriveled. He wears a ring similar to Stefan's, enabling to walk in the Sun. They are rare and Stefan wants to ask how he acquired one. However, the vampire has a look that tells Stefan he doesn't want to be interrupted.

"She used to be an old friend I wish to become in contact with again," Stefan says slowly, choosing his words carefully. "My brother and I were very close and we only recently found out she was even alive."

The vampire stares at him, not to convinced. "Did she know you were alive?"

"Yes," Stefan lies, unsure of the answer himself. The vampire makes him uncomfortable with the way he stares at him.

"Perhaps she doesn't want to be found. 400 did you say? Eh, it should be easy to force her to come along with me but once she has to see you, she just might kill you," the vampire laughs. Stefan laughs dryly along with the vampire who silences him with one glare.

"Well, it's kinda urgent. I need her back to possibly stop the endangerment of many lives. I'm willingly to pay whatever amount you want. I just want her to me in one piece."

"I am a very skilled vampire tracker. It shouldn't take too long. I get my pay after a the successful completion of this job, do you agree?"

"I agree. That's how many pints again?" Stefan grits through his teeth, thinking of ways to get the blood.

"250. Blending in with society ain't so hard when you gotta feed," the vampire explains and Stefan nods, understanding. "But mind you, whoever ends up dying in this little journey ain't my fault."

"I just really need her back."

* * *

Stefan heads up to his room to find the door locked. He uses a bit of force to break the lock and tries to open the door. However, something is in the way preventing the door from opening. He manages to squeeze through the narrow crack to see Elena curled up in fetal position, asleep. The smell of dried blood travels up his nose, but he is not tempted. His human blood days are over. He scoops up Elena whose cheeks are stained with dried tears. He takes her to his bed, watching her sleep. She whimpers quietly and Stefan tucks her in and turning off the light. He lies next to her, sighing and listens to the deep breaths Elena takes.

In the middle of the night, a frightened Elena wakes up, tears streaming down her face once again. Stefan tries to calm her but she's jittery.

"Am I a good person?" Elena asks, sobbing into Stefan's neck. He rubs her back and tries to soothe her.

"Of course you are," Stefan reassures her and Elena cries even harder.

"Tell me the truth, Stefan. Am I a good person?" Elena demands, the tears pouring out.

"What is this all about Elena?"

"Do you trust me? Oh, God, why do you trust me?"

"Elena, shh. Shh. Just calm down. You're a good person, trust me," Stefan cups her cheeks and stares her in the eye. "There is nothing you could ever do to lose my faith and trust in you. I love you."

Elena tries to stop crying but a few silent tears slide down her face. Stefan wipes them away gently with his thumb. "I love you so much," Elena says shakily as she collapses back into Stefan's bed. Stefan lies on his side, hugging her in a tight embrace and Elena turns her head towards him. "I love you so much," she repeats over and over again before she falls asleep.

"I love you too," Stefan says, kissing her forehead.

Elena doesn't sleep well that night even with Stefan next to her. Stefan's words seem true and genuine but she feels fake and like a big liar. She doesn't want to do this to him. Not after everything that's happened. She doesn't want to hurt him; he never hurt her. The emotional pain and distress is tearing her to shreds and subconsciously, she utters in her sleep a single name.

"Damon."

The name escapes her lips and Stefan freezes. He feels Elena toss and turn in his arms and he knows that slowly but surely, Damon's poison has entered her body and is already working.

A/N: So you got Damon/Elena and Stefan/Elena. I don't know. After Stefan's falling off the wagon, he's gotten so much sexier. Looks like we're not in Broodingville, anymore, Todo. Yeah, you see what I did there? I'm just smooth like that... PLEASE REVIEW! Nothing makes my day more than a good review, not that you're subscription to this story/adding it to your favorites/etc. isn't bad either! A surprising number of my stories all have 22 reviews. Perhaps this can join the club? Don't worry, I'll still update. I'm just saying. Yeah, I'm being too pushy, right? You should be glad I don't review-rape you.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I Don't own anything, blah, blah, blah. I hope the nice people at CW don't sue me nor does the author of the series, LJ Smith pull an Anne Rice._

The vampire tracker meets up with some connections in Chicago first before heading to Arlington. This Katherine girl seems like the Texas kind of girl and his tracker instinct seems to be taking him South. It doesn't take long after that for his tracker to lead him to Arlington. The whole place reeks of her, he can just tell. Getting to Arlington was the easy part, surprisingly enough. Finding the girl would be difficult. Arlington wasn't exactly swarming with vampires but it would be hard to find her. In big cities, vampires tried even harder to cover up their tracks. Big cities mean big publicity when a body is found.

He checks out some of the dingy bars first in the desert outside of Arlington but there is no luck. He heads to the big city and goes straight for a fancy hotel, the fanciest in all of Arlington. Sure enough, he spots her at a bar, with an old yet wealthy looking man. Flirting him up, twirling her curly hair. She doesn't seem to be dressed like a call girl or gold digger but matches the picture he has perfectly. He watches her all night, staying with that one man while sipping on whiskey.

He follows her leave the bar later that night for "fresh air" but mostly like a snack. He notices her being nice to some bell boy before leading him outside. She takes the boy behind the hotel, into an alley and she's quick to make her move. Katherine goes straight for the neck but finds herself pinned against the brick wall rather than sinking her fangs into his white throat. She's gasping for breath she doesn't need but the tracker doesn't loosen his steely grip.

"What do you want?" Katherine chokes.

"You need to come with me now."

"Who sent you?" Katherine doesn't like the thought of being found. She was supposed to find others and kill them.

"Someone by the name of Salvatore," the tracker grins maliciously.

"Damon?" Katherine hisses. The tracker shakes his head to Katherine's surprise.

"Stefan," the stronger vampire says with another twisted grin as he shoves a syringe full of the strongest vervain and a small piece of wood into her side.

* * *

The next few days pass quickly for everyone except Stefan. He juggles pacing around his room waiting for a call from the tracker and keeping Elena busy so that she doesn't Damon. He's successful for the most part except he still awaits for the call telling him that the whole situation is under control. Elena often tries to soothe him, although she doesn't know what's wrong with him. His brow remains furrowed and she can tell he's trying hard not to raise any suspicion.

Elena finds herself helping Caroline make the Miss Mystic Falls float alongside Matt and Tyler. Caroline enjoys being in charge and she dutifully takes all of her orders. Bonnie's back in town but is still ignoring Elena which annoys her more now rather than angering her. The week goes by quickly for her. From making the float to all the homework she's been assigned, she can barely find a moment for herself. But when she does, there's always that fraction of a second when she finds herself thinking about Damon.

Damon would like to call Elena to explain himself but can't ever find his phone. Stefan seems to watch his every move, scrutinizing his actions. The sarcastic and witty remarks don't seem to help his mood at all and spends his time reading Stefan's journal while he's at school while drinking blood or his alcohol of choice.

Finally, Stefan gets the call he's been waiting for.

"I have her here with me. We're on our way," the vampire tracker leaves a message via voice mail.

Stefan makes the excuse of needing to hunt so that he can escape to a few towns over and meet up with the vampire tracker. Elena seems fine with being left alone for the night and lies by telling him she'll probably have a girl's night with Caroline. As soon as Stefan leaves, she gets this nagging feeling to go visit Damon. Praying that this visit won't be one from hell, she gets into her car and drives to the Salvatore house.

* * *

"It's about time," Damon mumbles as Elena walks into the parlor. He's reading something- a small leather bound notebook.

"Hey," Elena breathes shakily. She takes a step forward towards the couch where he's sitting. She barely makes it two steps before he's standing in front of her. She feels her heart starting to race with Damon so close to her.

"About last time-" Damon starts to say.

"Don't make me regret being your friend," Elena interjects. Damon is taken by surprise. Elena just called him his "friend." He blinks slowly and stares at Elena who's starting to look like confused at what's happening. Blinking again a few more times, he has an epiphany. And that's when he kisses her.

Elena doesn't know what's going on besides the fact that Damon's mouth is pressed against hers. They're making out and the strangest part is how much she finds herself enjoying it. Elena pulls back but not because she's not enjoying herself but because she needs to breathe. When they lean in, their foreheads touch and Elena is trembling.

"I only said you remind me of Katherine because-" Damon feels a finger pressed to his lips.

"Don't talk about her. Not now, now ever," Elena tells him before kissing him again. She finds herself drawn to Damon but not because he's dangerous and sexy. She feels that deep connection with him; that understanding that enables her to be the only person Damon trusts. Damon lifts her up and they're on the couch within seconds. Elena sits on top of him and and unbuttons his shirt with fumbling fingers. They pause so that Elena can peel her shirt off and toss it to the side.

His hands cup her face in fiery passion. Her hands run through and tangles in his dark hair. One by one, each article of clothing restricting their eager body is peeled off until they find themselves bare and exposed for the other. With every movement their bodies make, Elena experiences a physical pleasure unknown to her and also her emotions towards Damon grow stronger and stronger. He introduces to her an almost excruciating form of ecstasy in more than one way and throughout the whole time they make love, only five words are uttered.

"I think I love you," Damon whispers as he rests his head on her shoulder as they bask in the hazy after-sex glow. Elena gasps for breath and struggles to swallow as tears slide down her face. She buries her face in his hair, inhaling the sweet scent of his shampoo and cries as they lie there together; their sticky bodies pressed against each other.

* * *

Katherine still feels the effects of vervain when she's dragged into some foreign bar. She can't even coax her body into some sort of reaction when she sees Stefan walking towards their booth. She smells the scent of a human all over her- probably a girl.

"Katherine," Stefan says in half-surprise and half-greeting.

"What do you want from me?" she mutters.

"It's Damon," Stefan says hastily. "He's spent a century and a half thinking you were dead only to find out your alive. I need you to take him back."

Katherine is surprised and makes herself sit up straighter. Her eyes grow wide in false innocence. "What?"

"He loved you. Not a day goes by when he doesn't tell me that his love for you was real."

Katherine smiles evilly. "What a shame. I always liked you better. You were so easy to... control. Why now? Why the vervain and tracker?"

"I just need him out of my life."

"There's another girl, isn't there?" Katherine hisses.

* * *

Back in Mystic Falls, Damon and Elena slowly put their redress in silence. The only sound comes from the fire place, crackling away. Elena's face is stained with dried tears and attempts to cope with her newly discovered romantic feelings for Damon. She tries not to make eye contact when she's getting dressed and when she's finished, she stands up keeping her eyes to the ground.

"I should get going," Elena says, staring at the carpet. Looking up slightly, she sees Damon nod and starts to head to the door. They almost make it there but he stops her, creating a wall between her and the large front door. He doesn't say anything and Elena can feel his intense gaze even though she avoids eye contact. Finally, she looks up to see Damon's furrowed brow, seeing a family resemblance between him and Stefan. The usual smirk is gone and she can't seem to get past that look on his face. She's seen it on him before, only to her though. It's the same face that asked her about trusting her, the same face that rainy day when Stefan was held hostage... it was a face that showed a sense of protection, care, and more importantly, love. Elena finally saw the raw emotions in his face and it made her scared inside. She didn't know how to deal with it. It was then that she saw that Damon really loved her. She takes a step forward and hugs him tightly.

It's then with Katherine and Stefan outside able to see and hear that Elena lets four little words slip past her lips in their tight embrace.

"I love you, too."

A/N: Well, I think that deserves a review, considering how effing hard it is to write Damon and Elena. Tell me how I did! I'm sure there are lots of you who have been dying for this moment.. you know, if anyone dies for my stories. I'm very thankful for all my readers who add me to their favorites/subscription/and best of all review! even tells us that a review is the best reward for us writers!


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything blah blah blah. I hope the nice people at the CW don't sue me, nor does LJ Smith doesn't pull an Anne Rice. _

Swallowing with great difficulty, Stefan quickly turns to check on Katherine but she's already gone. He hides too and watches as Elena goes to her car, alone. He waits for her to drive off before attacking Damon. His attack is expected though and finds a knife in his abdomen.

"Nice try, Spidey-Man," Damon grits through his teeth, withdrawing the knife. "Trying to sneak up on me at night?"

"Just you? Or were you worried I might interrupt something between you and Elena?" Stefan demands.

From the lack of a snarky retort, Stefan knows something is wrong. He watches Damon swallow at a loss of words. "It's not like that-"

"Like what? Are you still caught up over the whole Katherine thing? What, do you actually care for her or something because I better call the freaking Times!" Stefan yells in a gruff voice.

"Of course I care for her. She's like a sister-"

"You'd totally fuck," Stefan interjects.

"Okay! So I have real feelings for her. I love her, goddammit!" Damon roars in protest. Stefan goes silent.

"So this is how it is," he manages to force out. "I try to do a little brotherly favor by bringing your dear old Katherine back to town and you steal Elena from me. Wow, you're a bastard, did you know that?"

"You did what?" Damon lets the words roll off his tongue slowly. "You brought Katherine back? Where is she?"

"I don't know. She ran off after seeing Elena."

Damon's face goes wild as he hisses, "You fucking moron."

* * *

Katherine finds the first human she can before sucking "it" dry. It feels good to her vervain-damaged body and pries the piece of wood out of her side. She's feeling relieved and simply tosses the bodies over the edge of some bridge. She focuses and starts to sift through a million scents to find one that belongs to a certain Elena Gilbert. She finds the girl, that damn girl who looks so much like her, driving home almost recklessly. Katherine follows her home and thankfully, the girl parks her car outside the garage. As Elena gets out of the car, she feels a hand wrap her mouth, yanking her away before she has time to scream. She feels something hard thump against her head before everything goes dark.

* * *

"I love her, Stefan," Damon admits as they refill on blood- human for Damon, animal for Stefan. They agree to help each other until Elena is safely back in the arms of... safely back in bed and also destroy Katherine. It'll be difficult and they'll need full strength if they want to have any chance. Damon tries to enlist in the help of Alaric Saltzman but Stefan votes against getting help from someone who is close to Jenna Sommers.

"Is that so?" Stefan mutters grimly. He finishes off his blood before tossing the empty bottle aside.

"She'll have to choose, you know," Damon continues. His out of character personality is a bit too much for Stefan to handle.

"Just shut up, will you? Spare the details how you got Elena to profess her love for you," Stefan snorts bitterly.

"We'll get her back," Damon promises. Stefan stares at Damon and wonders for a second if they're doing that thing again where they pretend to be each other.

"We better get her back or else you'll face the consequences."

"Oh, like I'm really afraid of your empty threats," Damon shoots back, finishing off some O Negative.

* * *

"Well good morning," Katherine smiles evilly as Elena slowly opens her eyes. She swears she could be looking into a mirror but she knows who she's facing. Katherine.

She tries to back up, scared and asks, "What do you want from me?"

Katherine ignores her question and stares at her with curiosity. "How peculiar. We look so alike. Of course, I'm better looking and came first but how on earth did you come about? You're mother's Isobel, isn't she?"

Elena doesn't answer but still has that horrified look on her face.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you quite yet. That of course wouldn't serve my greater plan."

Elena's mine travels back to a similar conversation she had with Damon months back and laughs without humor. "What do you want from me?" Elena asks with a new edge, not being able to comprehend how alike Katherine and Damon are.

"It has come to my attention that both Salvatore brothers are vying for your affection. I'm here to tell you leave both of them alone," Katherine says with a deadly tone.

Once again, Elena laughs without humor. "Why? So you can go back to controlling Stefan's mind into loving you and making Damon believe you were dead for a century and a half?" Elena feels her head hit a stone wall, Katherine's hand around her neck. She can't find the air to breath and gasps for air.

"When they come looking for you, if you don't break it off with them, I will personally make you before I rip your pretty little head off your body. Understand?" Katherine asks as she slams Elena's head against the wall again.

However, Elena blacks out, crumpling to the ground before she has enough time to reply.

* * *

Elena wakes up once again after blacking out. Her vision is blurry and everything around her seems to be spinning and shaking. She sees a person in front of her but there seems to be five of them. Slowly, her vision steadies to make out one clear person- her hero. The person that's come to save her stands in front of her, calling her name. Her throat feels dry but she manages to say his name.

"Damon."

A/N: It's been a while, sorry about that! It's short, I know but I'll try to update again later today or very soon! Don't forget to review:) Also, I recently reached over 50 story alerts which I'm very thankful for.


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I Don't own anything, blah, blah, blah. I hope the nice people at CW don't sue me nor does the author of the series, LJ Smith pull an Anne Rice._

Damon is quick to start undoing the tight rope binding Elena's slim wrists together. He manages to loosen the rope so that she can slide her wrists out. Her wrists are red with a deep imprint from the rope.

"Where's Stefan?" Elena asks, feeling her insides shake.

"He's waiting outside," Damon grunts, starting to undo the rope tied around her ankles. He resorts to using his sharp teeth to rip the last of the rope apart. The pieces of rope fall from her ankles and Elena sighs with relief. Elena gets up, feeling uneasy on her sore ankles.

Damon is quick to assist her as they make their way through an abandoned house.

"Shouldn't there be other vampires around?" Elena asks, curious as to why there isn't an entourage of bodyguard vampires keeping track of her. Her question is answered when they walk past a small pile for several dead vampires. "Oh," Elena says, surprised.

They make their way to the front of the door where Stefan is waiting with a wooden stake in hand. Damon holds his hand out for Stefan to give the stake to him. In return, Stefan tosses him a rubber glove.

"Vervain," Stefan says simply and Damon nods curtly.

Damon grabs her hand as they plan to leave but Stefan grabs her other hand. The two brothers both exchange glares and Elena looks from one brother to another. Their grip is strong and Elena feels them both tugging slightly. Elena watches as Stefan's lips move saying something inaudible. Whatever Stefan says works because Damon drops her hand and heads outside. Stefan pulls Elena closer to him.

"Was it true? What you said to him?" Stefan's eyes bore into hers.

"What?" Elena can barely find her voice.

"Do you love him?" Stefan almost yells. The voice scares Elena to the core. She wants to scream no; every bone in her body tells her to say no.

"Yes," Elena's voice cracks and she feels Stefan drop her hand. He pushes past her and Elena follows behind him, tears silently sliding down her cheeks.

Katherine enters the house and feels an emptiness. She doesn't hear the faint heartbeat. She speeds around the house and hisses in anger at the pile of dead bodies. Rushing to the bathroom, she sees the pile of rope and lack of an unconscious human girl. Swearing, she runs towards the woods.

She feels herself getting closer, she can feel it in her bones. She easily manages to catch up to them, her centuries of being a vampire certainly an advantage. She sees them, two quickly running figures. She assumes that the human girl is being carried and is proven correct. Sneakily, she places a hand on the girl's stupid leather jacket and lets Stefan do the rest. As he continues to run, Elena is yanked backwards. Stopping, the girl tumbles to the ground, screaming.

Stefan freezes. "I lost her," Stefan swallows.

Damon stops. "What do you mean you lost her?"

"I don't know? I heard her scream. Katherine must have gotten her."

"Idiot," Damon slams Stefan into a tree. The tree cracks before to the ground with a loud thud. Damon starts to head back but there is no need.

Katherine runs in circles around them in a blinding speed and the two brothers find themselves having the others back. Finally, Katherine stops running. However, Elena is not with her. The brothers turn around to see Elena on the ground. She on her knees, the palms of her hand digging into the dirt.

Her breathing is heavy as she gasps for air. No way could it be safe to travel at that speed. Damon and Stefan look back to Katherine who smiles.

"Hello, boys."

Damon and Stefan get nervous as they look from Katherine to Elena and back to Katherine. Damon makes a step forward to help Elena but Katherine's voice stops him.

"Don't or I'll kill her," Katherine threatens. Damon freezes. "Drop the stake. All I want is to have a little chat."

Damon lowers the stake to the ground.

"Now we can talk," Katherine smiles. Her smile turns into a frown as she glares at Elena. "Can someone please explain to me why the hell she looks like me?"

"We were actually hoping you could tell us," Stefan offers.

Katherine laughs cruelly. "Me? Tell you? Please, I could honestly care about the human. She's going to die, anyways. However, it's not surprising that you both have fallen for her. She looks like me. 1864, all over again, I suppose." Katherine runs over to Elena and makes her stand up. "Eerie, isn't it?" Katherine teases with an evil grin. "Quick snap of the neck, perhaps..." Katherine contemplates to herself. "But she certainly does smell tasty."

"Katherine, stop."

Katherine looks up to see Damon, wooden stake once again in his hand.

"Why don't you make me," Katherine laughs. In a flash, she's gone and so is Elena.

A/N: Internet got busted for me. Writing in an internet cafe is not the best thing in the world. Please review! Like don't just add me to your story alert. LOL.


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I Don't own anything, blah, blah, blah. I hope the nice people at CW don't sue me nor does the author of the series, LJ Smith pull an Anne Rice._

"Why do I bother keep you alive?" Katherine says loud and clear as Elena wakes up wakes up once again. She's not being locked up but seated quite comfortably in a plush armchair. She's seated in a room where the heavy looking drapes are kept closed and a fire crackles, the flames dancing. "It'd be so easy to kill you now."

"Because," Elena says confidently. "Even though I'm dead, you won't be able to stop the Salvatore brothers from loving me and not you."

"Such bold words," Katherine says in a mocking tone. "Thank you for your words of wisdom."

Elena looks away and stares at the fire. She hears Katherine to continue blabbing on.

"You know if I were to shoot you directly through the heart, you're death would come quite quickly. However, a shot to the stomach would leave you agonizing for hours," Katherine laughs.

"Where are you getting with this?" Elena asks abruptly.

"I'm not going to shoot. That would take out all the fun in killing you with by hands."

A shiver runs down Elena's spine as she thinks of all the possible ways Katherine could kill her. Katherine gets up from the seat she's sitting in and takes a few long strides towards Elena. Elena notices the pendant necklace hanging from her neck. She doesn't see any other type of jewelery and concludes that is what enables her to walk in the sun.

"Do you have any last words to say?" Katherine smiles. "I'll be sure to pass on the message to Stefan or Damon."

"You don't care about them. You're just upset that they've moved on!" Elena shouts.

"Please, jealous of a simple human being? A human being so fragile and easy to destroy? Just tell me, who would you choose? Stefan or Damon? The ruggedly handsome brooding brother or the dangerously charming brother?"

Elena's mouth drops as she's at a loss for words.

"See, that's where you've gone wrong. Your inability to chose either brother is what will cause you a lifetime of misery. It's a shame you won't be alive to experience it."

Elena shakes with fear before she boldly reaches out and yanks Katherine's necklace off. She uses all her force and combined with Katherine's ability to resist breaks the thin chain. She tosses it into the fireplace quickly as Katherine howls with rage. Moving as fast as she can, Elena grabs a few pencils which just happen to be conveniently lying around and starts shoving them into Katherine's body. She tries to get one as close to the heart as possible and attacks her eyes and watches Katherine shriek in pain.

Elena hops of the armchair and races to the window, drawing open the blinds. Sunlight pours in and Katherine only gets angrier. Elena watches Katherine writhe in pain for a few moments as she removes the pencils. Enraged, Katherine stalks towards Elena but gets burned by the sun in the process. Screaming as her body starts to deduce to ashes, Katherine makes one last act before succumbing to the sunlight.

Katherine hurls the wooden stake hidden for her protection towards Elena. With centuries of experience, Katherine hits her target easily even half burned. Elena can't move away in time and finds the stake stab into her abdomen. Elena gasps in pain and grabs for something around her. She stumbles to her floor onto her knees, tumbling down books. As she hears Katherine's skin sizzle away and turn into ashes, Elena finally realizes where she is.

The Salvatore Boarding House.

---vd---

Damon and Stefan spend the next to hours after Katherine's disappearance with Elena searching Mystic Falls. Finally, they decide to head home to recuperate for a little while before recomposing themselves and finding Elena. They need to fill up on blood if they're going to face Katherine. Walking into the Boarding House, they immediately notice something wrong. First of all, there is an unusual brightness coming from the parlor and they hear the whimpers of a human followed by harsh, short breaths.

Damon beats Stefan to the parlor and they're both in shock at the sight. There is a pile of ashes in empty clothes and Elena lying on the ground, wooden stake protruding from her stomach. Elena lies on the floor, her hands clutching her stomach as the blood continues to seep out. The smell of blood is unavoidable. Elena's head is tilted to the side as she cries softly, struggling to breath.

The two brothers reach to Elena's side in concern but only cause Elena to cry even harder. Crying causes pain for Elena and soon, she is crying in fits of pain.

Stefan tries to calm down Elena and slowly starts to remove the stake which only causes Elena more pain. She wailed as the two brothers tried to keep Elena still. After a few attempts, they realize their efforts are useless.

"She needs blood," Stefan says finally. He's quite to tear his wrist but Elena shakes her head when they try to feed her the blood. She refuses to let a drop touch her lips and begs them to stop.

"I can't be like her," Elena cries as her eyes are tightly shut and her face is in a grimace. "I love you, both."

Stefan and Damon look up at each other and they exchange glares.

"I know it's wrong but I just can't choose," Elena's breathing gets shallow. "It hurts inside," Elena screams, tears streaming down her red face.

Stefan feels useless, unable to help Elena and it's slowly ripping him apart. He can't help but notice Damon steadily trying to keep his gaze off Elena. He sees Damon's eyes glaze over and feels like he could kill him. They both watch as Elena uses the last of her energy to calm down for a few moments.

Taking a a few deep breaths slowly, Elena manages to stop crying for a couple minutes. She turns to Stefan and grabs his hand.

"I love you," Elena smiles weakly. "I believe in you. Never forget that."

Stefan nods, at a loss for words. He so desperately wants to save her. He watches as Elena turns to Damon. Elena laughs when she looks at him even though it hurts her stomach.

"I never thought I could love you," Elena whispers. "You can't hate Stefan. He's your brother." Elena wants to say more but she can't. Her overworked heart starts to lose its beat as it quickly begins to fail.

"We can save you," Damon pleads. "We can't let you die like this!"

Elena shakes her head softly. Her eyes start to droop before they close and don't open again. Damon and Stefan go cold as they feel her body go limp. She doesn't stop bleeding and Stefan rips out the wooden stake. Tears roll down his cheeks as he does so and he chucks it across the room in anger. Damon is fast to get up and start tearing the room apart in frustration and anger. Hot tears blur his vision as things start to fly around the room.

"You made sure I lived," Stefan says quietly. "You told me not to give up. WHY'D YOU DO THIS TO ME?" Stefan yells. Damon lunges towards him and they're soon, ripping and tearing at each other.

"I loved her, too," Damon roars. "You're not the only one!"

"Please! You were just using her as a replacement Katherine! You never cared for her! She was just another pawn in your diabolical plan!" Stefan hisses.

"THERE WAS NO PLAN," Damon slams Stefan against the wall. "I really did fall in love with her," Damon admits and the two brothers release their grip on each other.

"She's really gone isn't she?" Stefan's voice cracks.

Damon nods reluctantly and they both turn their attention to Elena's lifeless body, lying in a pool of blood. Her face is scrunched up in permanent pain as the acid from her stomach continues to slowly destroy her body. Just looking at her is enough for the brothers to go mad and they wish they could make it better. They wish they could wake her up and everything goes back to normal with Stefan and Elena being the happy couple and Damon being the seductive older brother who does that sexy eye thing. However, their thinking is only wishful as they try to accept the fact that Elena is gone forever and is never coming back.

Fin.

A/N: There. That is finished. Sorry to say but I kind of planned Elena's death from the very start. It's complicated why that happened. I thought well, she can't really choose which brother she likes so she gets to escape the easy(?) way? I don't know. It just came to me and I knew that's what I had to do. Sorry if anyone got super pissed and is like: I HATE THE HEAD REVIEWER. I HATE HER STORY.

I'd love to hear what you thought of the ending... hate it? love it? Tell me with a review! Thanks for all your support with this fanfiction and hey, you never know. Elena might now really be dead... or as dead as we think... ;)


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